{"title":"Constraining the origin of isotopic variations in chondritic materials through titanium and chromium isotopic analyses of refractory inclusions","authors":"Yuki Masuda , Tetsuya Yokoyama , Tsuyoshi Iizuka , Yuki Hibiya","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119447","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119447","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies in meteorites indicate a non-uniform distribution of stable isotopes in the protosolar disk. Understanding the origin of the isotopic dichotomy between carbonaceous chondrites (CCs) and non-carbonaceous (NCs) meteorites, especially in Ti (ε<sup>50</sup>Ti) and Cr (ε<sup>54</sup>Cr), is essential for exploring the early evolution of the Solar System and the planetesimal formation. Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), the oldest Solar System condensates rich in CCs, control the isotopic compositions of refractory elements in CCs. However, the Ti-Cr isotopic compositions of CCs cannot be solely ascribed to commonly studied coarse-grained CAIs (CGs). Fine-grained CAIs (FGs), which have avoided melting after condensation, likely preserve the isotopic signature of CAI-forming gases, making them important for understanding the isotopic compositions of CCs and the origin of the NC<img>CC isotopic dichotomy.</div><div>This study investigates the Ti-Cr isotopic compositions of ten FGs and four CGs from three CV chondrites. These CAIs exhibit ε<sup>50</sup>Ti values consistent with previous studies, while their ε<sup>54</sup>Cr values are more variable than were previously obtained. Notably, some FGs present higher ε<sup>54</sup>Cr and ε<sup>50</sup>Ti values than CGs, suggesting a distinct origin for FGs that cannot be attributed to the matrix–CG mixing. Moreover, our results indicate that the diversity in isotopic composition of CCs cannot be fully explained by differences in the abundance of refractory materials among individual CCs. The negative correlation between ε<sup>50</sup>Ti and ε<sup>54</sup>Cr values in CCs suggests that the isotopic variability arose from either metal grains with low ε<sup>54</sup>Cr values, or differences in isotopic composition among each CC matrix.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"664 ","pages":"Article 119447"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144098913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Timothy Paulsen , Jeffrey Benowitz , Stuart Thomson , John Encarnación , Anne Grunow , Paul Layer , Maddie Young
{"title":"Antarctic Phanerozoic landscape evolution along the Transantarctic basin from thermochronology","authors":"Timothy Paulsen , Jeffrey Benowitz , Stuart Thomson , John Encarnación , Anne Grunow , Paul Layer , Maddie Young","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119445","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119445","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Geophysical studies reveal a rugged landscape underlying the Antarctic ice sheets, but the geologic factors that led to this highly variable bedrock topography remain unresolved. Subsidence of Transantarctic Mountains crust, induced, for example, by long-term crustal extension before Cenozoic exhumation and Cretaceous–Cenozoic rifting, has been previously inferred from geologic and thermochronological records. There are, however, uncertainties about the thermochronological history of basement rocks in the Transantarctic Mountains, particularly for the Paleozoic following the late Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic Ross-Delamerian orogeny. Here we show that K-feldspar <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar cooling ages (∼350–150 °C closure temperature) from granitoid bodies collected from a large region across the Transantarctic Mountains are consistent with local punctuated exhumation of basement highs in the Silurian–Devonian, Carboniferous–Triassic, and Cretaceous–Paleocene. Times of increased exhumation correlate with periods of erosion and nearby sedimentation, including the Late Paleozoic Ice Age glaciation. They also correlate with the known timing of outboard plate-margin tectonism, suggesting the presence of dynamic inboard Paleozoic-Mesozoic landscapes influenced by cycles of crustal deformation and possibly, glaciation along the Pacific-Gondwana margin. The results indicate a geologic history like Antarctica’s contiguous margin in eastern Australia and highlight the importance of collecting comprehensive time-temperature data to fully understand the evolution of bedrock relief. The data suggest similar thermochronological analyses of subglacial bedrock of East Antarctica and submarine rocks of the West Antarctic rift system have significant potential to provide new insight into the origin of Antarctica’s subglacial bedrock topography and its potential influence on Paleozoic and Cenozoic glacial cycles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"664 ","pages":"Article 119445"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144098912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Camila Poblete-González , Tom Grelet , Daniele Tardani , Daniele L. Pinti , Pablo Sanchez-Alfaro , Fernanda Álvarez-Amado , Santiago Tassara , Philippe Robidoux , Pamela Pérez-Flores , Felipe Aron , Kim Berlo , Marco Taussi
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Volcano-tectonic controls on magma residence time in arc crusts: Insights from noble gas geochemistry in the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone.” [Earth and Planetary Science Letters 661(2025) 119352]","authors":"Camila Poblete-González , Tom Grelet , Daniele Tardani , Daniele L. Pinti , Pablo Sanchez-Alfaro , Fernanda Álvarez-Amado , Santiago Tassara , Philippe Robidoux , Pamela Pérez-Flores , Felipe Aron , Kim Berlo , Marco Taussi","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119426","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119426","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"664 ","pages":"Article 119426"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eliel S.C. Anttila , Francis A. Macdonald , Joneel Zinto , Max D. Britt
{"title":"Corrigendum to “The Real McCoy: Great Unconformity source-to-sink on the rifted passive margin of Laurentia” [Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 642 (2024), 1-17/118852]","authors":"Eliel S.C. Anttila , Francis A. Macdonald , Joneel Zinto , Max D. Britt","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119427","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"664 ","pages":"Article 119427"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Deng Zeng , Lin Ding , Robert A. Spicer , Chao Wang , Chen Wu , Xiaodong Wang , Mike Widdowson , Jing Xie , Yahui Yue , Chenyuan Zhao , Xudong Guo
{"title":"Direct dating of Qaidam Basin stratigraphy, Northern Tibet","authors":"Deng Zeng , Lin Ding , Robert A. Spicer , Chao Wang , Chen Wu , Xiaodong Wang , Mike Widdowson , Jing Xie , Yahui Yue , Chenyuan Zhao , Xudong Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119440","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119440","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Qaidam Basin, the largest intermountain basin in Northern Tibet, has recently gained attention for a newly proposed depositional age, specifically for the Lulehe Formation (Fm). Two contrasting models currently exist: the traditional interpretation places its deposition during the Paleocene or Eocene, while more recent age models suggest deposition during the Oligocene. This significant conflict hampers understanding of the timing of activity of the surrounding fault systems, and the uplift and growth mechanism of the northern Tibet. In this study, we sampled tubular carbonate veins and abundant paleosol calcareous nodules from the Lulehe Fm. Using calcite U-Pb dating and clumped isotopes, we obtained an average age of 50.8 ± 2.8 Ma and formational temperatures of the nodules ranging from 39.6 ± 2.3 °C to 43.2 ± 3.4 °C in the Honggou section, and 28.2 ± 0.7 °C to 34.3 ± 4.2 °C in the Hongshan West section. Furthermore, by applying elevation-dependent isotopic and clumped temperature lapse rates, we reconstructed the paleoelevation of the Qaidam Basin during the early Eocene to be 1.6 ± 0.98 km. Our findings align more closely with the traditional stratigraphic framework of the Lulehe Fm, indicating that initial sedimentation in the Qaidam Basin occurred during the early Eocene. Moreover, we provide a quantitative estimate of the basin's paleoelevation during its early stage. While our data may suggest the possibility of southward growth in northern Tibet, alternative interpretations cannot be ruled out, and further research is required to better constrain the uplift patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"664 ","pages":"Article 119440"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Quinn R. Shollenberger , Jan Render , Josh Wimpenny , Rosalind M.G. Armytage , Nipun Gunawardena , John M. Rolison , Justin I. Simon , Gregory A. Brennecka
{"title":"Elemental and isotopic signatures of Asteroid Ryugu support three early Solar System reservoirs","authors":"Quinn R. Shollenberger , Jan Render , Josh Wimpenny , Rosalind M.G. Armytage , Nipun Gunawardena , John M. Rolison , Justin I. Simon , Gregory A. Brennecka","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119443","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119443","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the number and locations of different reservoirs present in the early Solar System is crucial to understanding the Solar System’s origin and evolution. Previous work has suggested that three unique isotopic reservoirs existed in the early Solar System but subsequent works have challenged that idea. Here we present elemental abundances along with Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Zn isotopic data from primitive material returned by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Hayabusa2 mission to asteroid (162173) Ryugu to make inferences on the Solar System’s early architecture. Data from Ryugu particle A0208 are consistent with a close genetic heritage between Ryugu and CI chondrites. We employ principal component analysis (PCA) on these Ryugu and published meteorite data to demonstrate that Ryugu and CI chondrites are distinct from other known astromaterials, strongly supporting the existence of a third major isotopic reservoir in the early Solar System.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"664 ","pages":"Article 119443"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bitian Wei , Xin Cheng , Mathew Domeier , Peng Yang , Shihu Li , Longyun Xing , Nan Jiang , Weijie Zhang , Jiahui Zhang , Zhongshan Shen , Qinglong Chen , Dongmeng Zhang , Min Zhang , Yanan Zhou , Chenglong Deng , Hanning Wu
{"title":"A Cimmerian keystone: Middle-late Triassic paleomagnetic and calcite geochronologic constraints on the South Qiangtang Block","authors":"Bitian Wei , Xin Cheng , Mathew Domeier , Peng Yang , Shihu Li , Longyun Xing , Nan Jiang , Weijie Zhang , Jiahui Zhang , Zhongshan Shen , Qinglong Chen , Dongmeng Zhang , Min Zhang , Yanan Zhou , Chenglong Deng , Hanning Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119442","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119442","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Cimmerian continent was a ribbon-like assemblage of micro-continental blocks that separated from the northern margin of Gondwana at the end of the late Paleozoic. As a keystone at the center of the Cimmerian continent, the South Qiangtang Block of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is critical for understanding the kinematic history of the Cimmerian continent, and its influence on the evolution of the Tethyan realm. In this study, we present new <em>in situ</em> carbonate U-Pb geochronologic data and paleomagnetic data from Middle-Upper Triassic limestone and basalt of the Zuoqingco Formation of central South Qiangtang Block. A well-resolved, pre-folding magnetization hosted by magnetite is recovered from 12 limestone sites and 9 basalt sites, and places the South Qiangtang Block at a latitude of ∼20.6 ± 4.8 °N at ∼237–235 Ma. Using this new palaeomagnetic result together with other paleomagnetic data and geologic observations, we argue that the South Qiangtang Block drifted rapidly northwards during the middle Permian to late Middle Triassic and the Longmuco-Shuanghu Ocean is limited expanse but had not completely closed prior to ∼237 Ma. The final closure of two branches of the “Paleo-Tethys” Ocean was likely 230 Ma.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"664 ","pages":"Article 119442"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Subduction of an oceanic triple junction: Geodynamic implications of successive mid-ocean ridge subduction","authors":"Jorge Sanhueza , Gonzalo Yáñez , Sofía Lagarrigue","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119444","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119444","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mid-ocean ridge subduction and subsequent opening of slab windows have profound implications in the spatio-temporal evolution of convergent margins. The geological record, geophysical observations and numerical studies have accounted for the geodynamic implications in the overriding plate and the upper mantle in modern and ancient settings. Geological consequences are the disruption of the arc magmatism and the emplacement of extensive backarc plateau lavas. While geophysical imaging has documented low seismic anomalies associated with mantle upwelling. However, the subduction of an oceanic triple junction is a complex process that has been identified through tectonic reconstructions but has not been tested yet. In this contribution, we provide a simplified numerical model to understand the geodynamic and thermal consequences due to a subducted oceanic triple junction. We conducted 2D thermomechanical simulations with appropriate initial conditions to reproduce the long-term effects (up to 14 Ma) of successive mid-ocean ridge subduction. Model results show migration of partial melts in the upper mantle that lead to the generation of ridge jumps, slab remnants and a new subduction zone, having an impact in tectonic reorganizations and terrane accretion. In addition, long-term thermal anomalies (60-90 °C/km) in the overriding plate can only be developed with a proper combination of geodynamics settings and erosional conditions (1 mm/yr). Finally, we used our modeling results to provide an integrated geodynamic evolution at Tierra del Fuego in southernmost South America, in which the two episodes of mid-ocean ridge subduction and climate-driven erosional processes during the Miocene are the key controlling factors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"664 ","pages":"Article 119444"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Man Wai Yip , A.Alexander G. Webb , Pablo J. González
{"title":"Quantifying salt extrusion versus surface salt flow rates at Mt. Sedom to gain insights on its mechanics and potential external atmospheric forcing","authors":"Man Wai Yip , A.Alexander G. Webb , Pablo J. González","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119446","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119446","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study of salt tectonics is essential due to its relevance in locating hydrocarbon reserves, providing storage for fuels and waste, and offering insights into extraterrestrial geology. Despite decades of research, salt extrusion and flow rates at the surface remain poorly characterized, even with frequent confusing terminology. In our study, we aim to separate both phenomena at one of the best test sites on Earth, Mt. Sedom, a prominent salt extrusion site in a tectonically active basin. We utilized InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) techniques to measure surface salt motion with high temporal resolution, analyzing 9.5 years of Sentinel-1 data to derive both vertical and horizontal displacement components. Our approach improves previous estimates that used only line-of-sight (LOS) measurements. We are able to estimate vertical uplift rates directly above the salt extrusion channel location inferred using mechanical modeling. We propose that these estimates are a much closer representation of the actual salt extrusion rates, and largely independent of the typically overlapping surface gravity-driven flow dynamics. The InSAR time-series suggests that thermal expansion is a first-order driver of the observed seasonal uplift and subsidence patterns. Moreover, for the first time in Mt. Sedom, displacement changes in response to weather (rainfall) were inferred to be statistically significant. We conclude that any rainfall event, regardless of its magnitude, might be sufficient to enhance salt flow rate. This can be explained as a result of salt dissolution and increased gravity-driven downslope movement in the salt glacier as the salt becomes wet, due to increased surface load or reduced viscous/frictional forces. By integrating InSAR measurements, mechanical modeling, and meteorological data, this study provides new constraints on surface salt motion at Mt. Sedom, improving our understanding of its driving mechanisms. Most importantly, our results reveal an immediate response of salt motion to rainfall, providing new insights into interactions between atmospheric and crustal processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"664 ","pages":"Article 119446"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rong Huang , Andrew R. Thomson , John P. Brodholt , Wilson A. Crichton , Anja Rosenthal , Dmitrii Druzhbin , Nicholas Backhouse , Isaac Taschimowitz , Dimitrios Bessas , Sergey Yaroslavtsev , Biao Wang
{"title":"Sound velocity measurements of γ-(Mg0.91Fe0.09)2SiO4 show that the ringwoodite to bridgmanite and ferropericlase phase transformation does not produce the seismically observed 660 km discontinuity","authors":"Rong Huang , Andrew R. Thomson , John P. Brodholt , Wilson A. Crichton , Anja Rosenthal , Dmitrii Druzhbin , Nicholas Backhouse , Isaac Taschimowitz , Dimitrios Bessas , Sergey Yaroslavtsev , Biao Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119416","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119416","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The canonical model of Earth’s interior directly links the global 410 and 660 km seismic discontinuities to olivine’s high pressure phase transitions in a pyrolite mineral assemblage. However, previous studies observe that the expected sound velocities of pyrolite are too low to match 1-dimensional seismic models in the lower mantle transition zone (MTZ). In this study, we report measurements of the elastic properties of (Mg<sub>0.9</sub>Fe<sub>0.1</sub>)<sub>2</sub>SiO<sub>4</sub> ringwoodite (Rw90), the dominant component of pyrolite between 520 km and 660 km depths, using pulse-echo ultrasonic interferometry combined with synchrotron X-radiation in the multi-anvil press up to 21 GPa and 1650 K. Our results show that <em>V</em><sub>P</sub> and <em>V</em><sub>S</sub> of anhydrous Rw90 (0.003–0.035 wt.% H<sub>2</sub>O, 5.6 ± 1.2% Fe<sup>3+</sup>/Fe<sup>tot</sup>) are both higher than predictions at MTZ conditions from previous studies, with a smaller increase for <em>V</em><sub>S</sub>. Simultaneous fitting of <em>PVT-V</em><sub>P</sub><em>-V</em><sub>S</sub> data yields global fit equation of state (EoS) parameters of <em>V</em><sub>0</sub>= 39.69(2) cm<sup>3</sup>/mol, <em>K</em><sub>0</sub> = 183(4) GPa, <em>K</em><sub>0</sub>′ = 5.5(3), <em>G</em><sub>0</sub> = 125(2) GPa, <em>G</em><sub>0</sub>′ = 1.3(1), <em>q</em><sub>0</sub> = 0.3(3), <em>γ</em><sub>0</sub> = 1.27(4), <em>θ</em><sub>0</sub> = 1100(100) K and <em>η</em><sub>S0</sub> = 3.5(2). Combining results with literature data, our predicted <em>V</em><sub>S</sub> for pyrolite produces a sharp discontinuity consistent with seismic models, although <em>V</em><sub>S</sub> is slightly lower than observed in the lower MTZ. In contrast, we find that pyrolite would not produce a large and sharp <em>V</em><sub>P</sub> discontinuity at 660 km as the jump in <em>V</em><sub>P</sub> caused by the decomposition of Rw90 is too small. A homogenous assemblage of pyrolite cannot, therefore, currently explain the seismic features in the lower MTZ. We also find that neither an accumulation of harzburgite nor basaltic crust immediately above or below the 660 km discontinuity explains the observations. Instead, either a heterogeneous mixture of some other chemically distinctive components is required or more prosaically, the elastic properties of all the other mantle phases need reevaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11481,"journal":{"name":"Earth and Planetary Science Letters","volume":"663 ","pages":"Article 119416"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144068942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}